The Importance Of Discovery In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

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Many discoveries have the capacity to make people think, however, only confronting discoveries can transform someone. This statement’s truth is embodied in the engagement between Shakespeare’s tragic romance comedy ‘The Tempest’ (1611), focussing on the discovery of revenge and forgiveness, and William Ernest Henley’s Victorian poem ‘Invictus’, exploring human spirit and its discovery in overcoming adversity. These texts lead to the evocation of discovery being a catalyst for renewed perspectives of ourselves and others. They additionally explore how Discovery can broaden understanding and transcend fears/prejudices. These notions demonstrate how a challenging discovery can evoke an individual to make drastic changes in their life, and a lasting …show more content…

During ‘The Tempest’ Act 1 Scene 2 Miranda beseeches to Prospero in distress that the storm is causing pain to those on the ship, “If by your art…you have / Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them”. The alliterative imagery and onomatopoeia portray the intensity of Miranda’s confronting fears, blaming not only Prospero but herself. This contrasts to the connotations of ‘allay’ as she transforms to finds the courage to stand up to her father. Additionally, in Act 2 Scene 1 Alonso expresses his grief and sorrow regarding the possibility that his son has perished, “I wish mine eyes would with themselves shut up my thoughts”. The imagery and personification of the eyes shutting up the thoughts if very provoking within itself and Alonso discovers the extent to which grief and trauma affects him. Shakespeare is able to write this with such imagery as a mere two years prior his mother had died. This fear then transforms him by Act 5 Scene 1, “This is as strange a maze as e’er men trod”, this response to the Boatswain’s tale of his experiences on the island through highly modal euphemism expresses that his fear of the unknown has been transformed to broaden his comfort zone. ‘Invictus’ also has a high use of metaphors enhancing the confronting issues faced in it. The first line, “Out of the night that covers me” has strong imagery and personification of the ‘covering night’ representing the feeling of agonising pain throughout the poem, representing the pain Henley felt in the hospital. In the third stanza, “And yet the menace of the years/ Finds, and shall find, me unafraid” (11,12). The phrase “menace of the years” symbolises the coming of age of Henley from age 13 to 25 and onwards. He states that he is ‘unafraid’ of the forthcoming years. Through the imagery and foreshadowing more confronting challenges in the years ahead, and

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